Paying the Bills

[Jimmy]

I am one of those guys that for several years now, I get paid once a month. At the beginning of the month I sit down pay everything. Rent, Utility's, insurance everything. Then whatever is left over (which like most of us is not much) I buy some food gas for the truck that kind of stuff.
My wife she is driving me crazy. She won't do this. I can not get her to pay our bills until they are due. Not even just a few days before. And now and then she will forget and we will lose something for a few hours. It is just a real Pain. Is it her or is this pretty typical among Chinese women.

[Vince G]

Jim I can understand both sides of this. You want to get things paid right away and the wife doesn't want to give them anything before it's due. Why not look into changing due dates to the first week of the month? I've done this a few times, changed due date to different weeks to fit my income.

Then both of you are happy.

[ttwjr32]

we just have everything taken directly out of the bank when due so there is no problem forgeting it

[Jimmy]

we just have everything taken directly out of the bank when due so there is no problem forgetting it

I do the same with my bills in the US. It's the regular stuff like electric here in China that she is so hard headed about.
I don't even know who we pay. I'm just trying to figure out what is wrong giving them the money 5 or 6 days early they are going to get it anyway.
And they way I see it .  It not really early it is on time. If the Final day to pay is the 10th. She walks in on the afternoon of the 10th and pays them. Not a minute sooner. I would understand better if I could see any benefit to it.

[ttwjr32]

we have the water,and electric auto deduct from bank each month you can set that up with the bank

[Paul Todd]

Jimmy my wife is the same as yours in that we don't pay any bills until there actually due. In most cases we don't pay them till there way over due! My wife's attitude is better in our bank account than there's, we never have any services cut off or any problems at all really. Last year the community we live in added another 500rmb a year on the service costs of maintaining the gardens we just ignored it as did everyone else. Notices were posted around the place but everyone agreed that this was outrageous, What, pay them more !!!! Eventually all the notices were taken down and the whole thing forgotten about. There was one scary moment when I realised that we had been driving around with no car insurance for 3 months but Ming zhi informed me that should we have an accident then they would cover the costs anyway as the owner of the insurance company was a "friend" we paid it about 2 weeks latter! I don't have an opinion on this, as far as I'm concerned it's just the way she does stuff and always has, I've lived here long enough to know that changing a Chinese ladies mind is not easy and after all if it works for her, it works for me too.

[Irishman]

Ted I go even further, most utilities can be paid here online and I often pay extra some months just in case I need the money when the next bill is due. Quite often i got negative phone or electricity bills as a result
When I lived in the mountains last few years the heating bills (electric storage heaters) were huge so I really over paid a lot in autumn to kinda keep it on a level keel over the winter months.

[ttwjr32]

i understand Irishman  but Sara and I do this in China with the bank here it makes it so much easier

[Bee964]

Ted, Irishman,

I understand and have both these too. I can set up payments for anything in advance, even on phone banking, if I know what the payment is in advance. (sometimes I even guess what the paymant is) I have several payments that are automatically taken out on the due date of the bill. I think that what Jimmy is referring to is his wife does not want to pay anything before it is due, or even set up automatic payments from the bank. She wants to retain control of the money they have. That is ok. She just doesn't want the companies to make money on their money getting it before it is due. Jimmy will have to decide to either just give his wife control of making the payments and trust she does this or he will have to take  control of it and make the payments for her, just like Mike said.

Dave C

[ttwjr32]

he also is talking about here in china also were they reside

[Willy The Londoner]

I do things the typical Chinese way.  When they come knocking they get paid. 

No point in paying three days or even two days before the final date.  Not  losing any interest but the rmb are in my pocket until then.

They always leave a notice attached to your dooor before disconnecting anything and that gives you a further three days.

Maybe that is why I have so many problems renewing visas!!!
 
Willy.

[ttwjr32]

or they heard of the Bandit  lol

[Bee964]

Got notified this morning, forgot to pay the phone bill. Oops! Told my lady when we were chatting this morning. Oops! She was right on my case, stopped chatting with me then and there until I paid it.

Dave C

[Willy The Londoner]

I hve been told that I have got to pay th house phone bill before we go to UK.  China Telecom have rung three times.  The total amount is  15 rmb.  It can only be paid at their office. The taxi ride there and back cost 20 rmb.

So my phone bill has more than doubled at a stoke.

Willy

[ttwjr32]

why have a home phone and pay that when you both have cell phones??